Standing by my decisions

Just got back from my trip to Florida! It was great to get to spend some time with my grandparents and my mom and brother. The villages is an absolutely beautiful place! I just want to skip my whole career path and go straight to retirement. Everyone has pristine gardens and there is not one piece of trash on the ground anywhere! They dance every night and with the exception of the one mean old lady who yelled at me from the passenger side of her car to cross the street faster, everyone seems very friendly!

With the exception of a nail in my tire that I had to get fixed before I left the trip went smooth! I ended up driving down a day early because my boss let me take it off, so I texted my mom this picture when I was a few hours away to surprise them and let them know I was on my way!

This is a picture from the back of the golf cart that I quickly snapped. It is just so beautiful!

When in Florida I had an interesting conversation with my grandmother (Mimi) about being in Alabama and living with my boyfriend before we are married. I completely get the fact that some people disagree with the fact that Grant and I are living together before we are married and I can respect their feelings. I was upset when I found out that his father felt so strongly about it and even more upset to recently find out that my Grandfather (Bumpa) wasn't too happy about it either, although he did a very good job and keeping it to himself. I can respect that  for religious reasons it is frowned upon or in the "older times" people just didn't live that way, but I am also a strong believer that I can make my own decisions and stand by those decisions. With the divorce rate as high as it is, especially higher in the Army, I am going to make sure that I am actually able to tolerate living with that person before I make the decision to marry them and then find out that I cant stand being with them. Which is not the case for Grant and I, I think that aside from his few things that drive me crazy (clothes go inside the hamper... not next to them, never closing the drawers in the dresser, and getting toothpaste all over the toothpaste container) things have been going smoothly. 

(If your ever reading this Grant, you know you do it! :p and I know I do things that drive you crazy too...although you never really say.)

Another question that she had for me was, "You made the decision to move out to Alabama right out of college and adapt to his life in the Army, do you think he would do the same if the situation was reversed?" The answer to this question was hard. Of course I would like to think if the situation was reversed he would follow me to a different state for a great career or just because but the truth is, I don't really know. Grant never forced me to move to Alabama. Truth is, in a perfect world he would have rather waited until he graduated from flight school to move in together but with flight school being over a year long, I honestly couldn't see myself waiting that long to start my "real life". I started looking for a career job, I don't know if I would have the option to move a year or so down the road. My mother always tells me not to lose myself to a man and says my grandmother is only concerned because I seem to have chosen a hard life in the military on top of how hard life is just by itself. I get why they are scared for me and honestly I think they feel that way because in some way my Mimi feels that she had to change for my Bumpa, and I know that my mother feels like she gave up herself to change for my father. 

I cant change who I fell in love with. I don't feel like I am changing myself. Maybe I am being naive about the whole situation but I don't think about it as changing, I think about it as adapting to a new situation to be with the person I love more than anything in this world. If people cant accept that, then they never will. Grant and I started our relationship with a lot of growing to do and I am happy that we have both gotten the chance to grow together. We are both not perfect and if I am making a mistake...I will learn from it eventually. All I know is that right now I am completely content with the decisions I have made and I know that good things will be coming my way in the future. 

Here are a few more shots from the drive with Dunkin. He is such a spoiled dog!

Here is a shot of my Mimi and her pup Ralphie. He is her baby

Well as for this week I have something planned for every day until Grant comes home! That includes getting a hair cut, going to see The Hunger Games and going out to dinner with the wives, making an ice cream cake, doing some cleaning, and Laundry. On top of that the hours at work are picking up which is what I need because my bank account is looking quite low after the cost of gas for the trip to FL. 

Only 5 more full days until he comes home!! :)